Here In Bongo Congo
Good King Leonardo has noticed that there are lots of interesting-looking premier new comic titles on the That's Entertainment new issues shelves right now, so he's decreed that we review four of them this week. So let's get going and see what these comic books are all about:
Good King Leonardo has noticed that there are lots of interesting-looking premier new comic titles on the That's Entertainment new issues shelves right now, so he's decreed that we review four of them this week. So let's get going and see what these comic books are all about:
Mind The Gap #1
Publisher: Image Comics, Inc.
Jim McCann: Creator/Writer
Rodin Esquejo: Art
First out of the gate this week among our
non-superhero-themed comics is a new comic from Image Comics, Inc. entitled Mind
The Gap. The new series is the creation of writer Jim McCann with art by Rodin
Esquejo.
The introductory issue presents a double-sized
44-page story segment that alternates between two sub-plots. The initial
plotthread is a thriller mystery surrounding a whodunit violent assault on
twenty-something New York theatre actress Elle, who is severely injured in a
subway platform assault and brought in a coma to St. Francis Hospital. As
Elle's circle of friends and family gather at the hospital, various conflicts
and bitter feelings among the gatherers are hinted at. A larger conspriacy is
also afoot, as we learn that the assault was part of a larger, to-date unnamed
conspiracy. Its also clear that one of the people in Elle's life is most likely
behind the assault. The second plotthread is more fantasy-oriented, as we track
Elle through an out-of-body experience as she monitors the situation, floating
around the hospital and interacting with both a supposed limbo guide named Bobby
and some other out-of-body folks at the hospital. The issue ends in an
unexpected plot twist as Elle accidentally pops-into another comatose patient's
body and begins to wake-up.
While the basic plot idea here isn't bad, the overall
story presentation is such a trainwreck that this comic title deserves a fast
and furious thumbs-down negative review recommendation, for several reasons.
First-up is the poor quality story progression; panels and pages are very
disjointed and lacking in logical story flow, to the point where we can't even
sort-out who is phoning who in the first half of the tale as Elle's various
contacts learn of her accident. Our second glaring flaw is the cheesiness of
the dialogue, as overly self-important characters make over-the-top dramatic
statements that are cringe-worthy with every new pronouncement. Third-up in
awfulness is the presentation of Elle's out-of-body experience. Since the
out-of-body afterlife concept has been done to death (no pun intended) for years
in film and fiction, the use of it here has to be presented in some fresh and
creative manner in order to be entertaining. Writer McKenna stumbles in
the opposite direction here, giving us a tired set of "am I really dead?"
cliches. McCann also can't make-up his mind to develop Elle's experience as
either a real post-life step or a figment of her injured mind, as such combining
the possibility of either option into a puddle of confused mess. Our fourth and
most failed element is McCann's weak attempt to interweave song lyrics into the
tale, choosing incredibly stale and unfitting songs and lyrics to the
storyline.
By issue's end, I couldn't help but visualize
McCann as an older, baby-boom aged writer trying to be "hip" by blending a bunch
of 1970's era story ideas into a modern-day comic book publication. He lost
my support by the issue's midpoint, when he uses one character to deliver a
pretentious pitch how the old Pink Floyd song "Money" is the most unique and
complex song of all time. And as a final element of egotistical self-delusion,
there's a self-congratulatory essay at the back of the book in which McCann
dissects the "awesome" and "so many incredible moments" of his crappy tale as if
he's just written a classic piece of American literature.
Its up to somebody else to deliver the dose of
therapy that McCann needs to wake-up from his self-grandeur and accept this
comic book for the failed piece of junk that it really is. My role in this mess
is to warn off all good readers from wasting money on this wreck and instead
read one of the many decent-to-excellent comics currently available on the new
issues shelves at That's Entertainment. So I'll end this review by adding a
question mark to the end of its title and providing an answer: Mind The Gap?
Yes...yes I do very much and I'm pretty sure that you will, too.
Takio #1
Publisher: Marvel ICON Imprint
Brian Michael Bendis: Writer
Michael Avon Oeming: Art
Nick Filardi: Colors
Marvel's ICON Imprint has just released issue #1 in a
new Takio comic book title. The ICON Imprint allows Marvel to enter into
publishing agreements with creator-owned comic book titles. Takio is the
creation of veteran collaborators Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming,
well-known for their work on the popular Powers comic book series, along with
colorist Nick Filardi. The current Takio title apparently is being published in
follow-up to a graphic novel production from last year. The series centers on
teen girl Takio and her younger sister Olivia, members of a multi-racial
adoptive family. When an accident at a friend's house gives the girls
superpowers, they become the only two superheroes in the entire world, while
their friend Kelly Sue becomes a supervillain. As an inside-the-front-cover
blurb states, "now the sisters have to get along, save the world and get home by
six...or they are so grounded!"
The 28-page issue #1 story is divided into three
segments. Act One is a semi-humorous scene that features the girls using their
telekinetic powers to foil a robbery at a local donut shop. It's clear that as
young superhero wannabe's they have a long way to go in mastering their powers,
as well as honing their battle skills. Act Two features our heroines addressing
the secret identity issue, as the young Olivia is barely reined-in by teen
sister Takai from revealing their powers on the local school playground. Takai
also focuses on putting the school rumormill to rest regarding the local
sighting of our dynamic duo at the donut shop robbery scene. And Act Three
shifts the story focus over onto Kelly Sue; while Kelly Sue seems negative and
ambivalent about the superpower situation, her scientist dad works hard to gain
an understanding of how he accidentally empowered the three kids. The issue
ends in a dramatic bridge to issue #2, as Kelly Sue's dad, aided by U.S.
government operatives, seeks to create a Captain America-style supersoldier
using a serum extracted from a Kelly Sue blood sample.
I got a kick out of this comic book, for a few
reasons. First, its really fun to read a quality comic book concept from Bendis
and Oeming that's lighter in tone and attitude than most of their previous
outings; granted, these two guys are at the pinnacle of comic book industry
quality and success, but most of their story tellings have a very sharp, dark
and adult-themed atmosphere. While it usually results in a quality comic book,
its refreshing and just plain interesting to see these guys stretch their
creative envelope and try their hand at a lighter storytelling approach.
Secondly, the story concept is intriguing by taking the approach that this is a
non-superhero, real-world version of reality. As such, our heroes really are
superpowered in a world in which the other heroes are figments of fanboy
imaginations. Third, I'm intrigued by the characterization of Takai's friend
Kelly Sue. While she's initially referred to as going the villain route with
her new powers, at least in issue #1 she's just a kid who's ticked-off about the
whole situation, sitting on the sidelines wishing none of it ever happened. At
this stage of the new series, she's actually the most sympathetic of the story
characters. It should be interesting to see if and how the creative team
address Kelly Sue's ambivalence toward her powers and her two friends.
My only constructive criticism of Takai is the
marketing pitch repeated throughout this issue that this is a new comic book
series created "for readers of all ages." Its an overblown and basically wrong
conclusion. This is clearly a title written at a level best enjoyed by readers
up to the age of 18. I can't believe that any post-18 aged reader with a normal
sense of reading maturity would become a sincere regular fan of reading Takai.
I think it would be better to market it honestly, rather than try to lasso adult
fans of the creative team into adding it to their reading pile. But I could see
parents reading the comic along with their children as a fun family experience.
So for fans in kid, teen and parent-child co-reading categories, here's
a well-deserved, positive review recommendation to enjoy all of the good fun
that's packed-into this new kid superhero-themed comic book title!
Trio #1
Publisher: IDW Publishing
John Byrne: Creator, Writer and Artist
Ronda Pattison: Colors
IDW Publishing has just kicked-off a new superhero
team comic book entitled "Trio." The series is the creation of veteran A-list
writer/artist John Byrne, with colors by Ronda Pattison. Byrne continues his
interesting pattern of offering new titles through IDW that resemble well-known,
established comic book creations. So in follow-up to "Next Men," his series
with similarities to X-Men, Trio emulates the universe structure of The
Fantastic Four.
The issue #1 storyline serves the dual purpose of
introducing the characters and premiering the initial story segment of
a multi-issue story arc. As we're introduced to our threesome of superheroes,
the character similarities to the FF are strong and obvious. There's the Ben
Grimm/Thing knock-off named "One," the cocky Johnny Storm-like "Two" and
"Three," a Sue Storm female team member who has Mr. Fantastic's stretch power.
The tale kicks-off with the team foiling a mid-town Manhattan bank heist. When
"Three" is gravely injured, its up to the Thing-like "One" to stay at the scene
to search for innocent victoms and fend-off the rabid media, while "Two" whisks
the injured teammate back to their secret lab/headquarters for medical
attention. The story setting shifts in mid-issue, as we witness the rise of a
Submariner-like sea threat in mid-ocean. In the wrap-up pages of issue #1, we
learn the secret identity of "One," while the Namor-like sea baddie and his
ocean hordes arrive dockside to attack The Big Apple in next month's issue
#2.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this new title, for
several reasons. First, iconic veteran creator John Byrne does a dead-on job of
emulating the Fantastic Four while adding fresh identity ingredients that
prevent this title from becoming a cheap knock-off of its predecessor. Sure we
have another Thing, but he transforms at-will between human and behemoth, and
his revealed secret identity is fresh and creative. The Johnny Storm-like dude
has youthful brashness and wit, but presents as an Edward Scissorhands-like
knife-handed fighter instead of a firepowered hero, while the injured Three is a
nice hybrid of Sue Storm and Reed Richards. Secondly, there's an air of mystery
here, with intriguing hints that the threesome are part of a wider organization
that includes at least three additional players yet to be introduced. Third, a
shout-out is due to the writer side of Byrne's creative persona for his
narrative style; avoiding the pretension and over-complexity too often seen in
today's storytelling, Byrme gives-us a simple yet engrossing story narrative
that pulls the reader into this finely-crafted new hero team's story
universe.
A fourth and final positive kudo goes to an element
that I rarely-to-never comment on in these reviews, and that's the attitude of
the writer. Byrne is subtly tongue-in-cheek in this new title effort, in a way
that only enhances the fun and success of Trio. He's not laboring here to
create a serious, stand-alone knock-off of the FF, but rather just having a lot
of fun duplicating their concept in a light and entertaining manner. The
strategy is most evident in a wonderful Fred Hembeck-authored comic strip panel
in the back of the issue, in which Hembeck confesses on Byrnes behalf that the
X-Men/Next-Men and the Fantastic Four/Trio similarities are deliberate
over-the-top knock-off efforts. The end result is a respectful and enjoyable
homage to the FF that's good enough to stand on its own as a fun comic book
read.
So whether you're a fan of the Fantastic Four or
interested in reading about a new superhero team that respectfully stands atop
the reputation of the iconic FF, you should be satisfied and entertained by this
quality new superhero team title from the pen of John Byrne.
Mystery In Space #1
Publisher: D.C. Vertigo
Various Writers & Artists
DC has just published a one-shot comic book issue
through its Vertigo imprint entitled Mystery In Space. The comic builds on the
heritage of the Mystery In Space monthly title published by DC back in the
Silver Age, which offered wonderful stand-alone outer space or alien-oriented
science fiction tales. By publishing through its Vertigo imprint, per a warning
on the front cover, this one-shot issue offers several stories that include
adult reader/mature reader story themes. The issue is an oversize comic book
packed with nine stories and priced at $7.99. All nine stories have outer space
and/or alien-human interaction themes and are the creation of a wide range of
writers and artists.
For the sake of review space, I'll only highlight a
few stories. "Transmission" is an eight-page tale centering on an Earth
expedition to an interstellar colony to contain a supposedly lethal virus. As
the story progresses, its revealed that both the expedition and all of humankind
are controlled by human-created artificial intelligence run amok and the
supposed virus is actually human ingenuity and desire for freedom. How the crew
and colonists deal with their overlord computer dictator as well as the outcome
of their rebellion is not for me to spoil but rather for you to read and enjoy.
"Asleep To See You" is a brief and emotional romance, focusing on the heartbreak
of two female lovers, as one chooses to travel the stars at the speed of light
and one stays Earthbound, with the obvious consequences of one aging Earthbound
while her partner stays youthful. "Here Nor There" is an oddball tale of a
husband and wife pair of oceanographers living in an undersea lab, whose
dissolving marriage descends into venom and nastiness when one discovers an
alien lifeform living in a submerged meteorite.
DC Comics periodically publishes one-shot science
fiction Mystery In Space collections, several which I've read and at least one
of which I recommended in a previous positive review. While there's nothing
glaringly negative about this issue, there's also nothing top-notch in this
issue either, so I'm giving this issue a mixed, fair-to-middling review
recommendation. On the plus side, we're treated to a wonderfully visual front
cover of a steampunk sci-fi angel mechanically ploting the course of the
cosmos. In addition, the above-mentioned story "Transmission" is a very strong
and entertaining tale with excellent visuals, a sense of mystery/tenseness and a
satisfying conclusion. Unfortunately, if you're a regular reader of science
fiction, you'll find the additional eight tales ranging in quality from two
godawful plot failures to a handful of stories that are just not well-presented
or interesting. The above-mentioned "Asleep To See You" is repetitive of so
many sci-fi short stories published over the years on the same theme that it
almost seems that it plagiarizes its predecessors.
For the reader who's a newcomer to reading science
fiction stories, either in print or graphic format, the compilation collection
ain't great but is of average entertainment quality, and as such for that
segment of the reading public I'd give the issue a moderate thumbs-up. But for
those readers who aren't rookie science fiction fan readers, the high quality of
the story "Transmission" doesn't balance-out with the formulaic plots and carbon
copy endings of the eight additional tales. So bottom-line: newbie sci-fi
readers might want to check-out this latest Mystery In Space story anthology,
while veteran or faithful sci-fi genre readers would do well to skip this issue
and drop an e-mail to Vertigo asking them to pour more creative juice into the
mix of their next one-shot Mystery In Space science fiction story collection.
As a final review comment, both rookie and veteran sci-fi fans alike should
peruse the That's Entertainment inventory for either Silver Age back issues or
reprint compilations of the original Mystery In Space title, which still can't
be beat for entertaining and high quality comic book sci-fi storytelling.
Contest Winner Announcement!!!
Our latest contest was a creative math trivia
challenge, asking you to answer the following: after the original group of 24
rabbits were released into the wild in Australia in 1859, how many Australian
rabbit descendants did they multiply into within 6 years, by 1865. And our
contest winner is (drumroll, please)...Kevin Browne, who correctly answered
that within six years, the two dozen rabbits grew to an estimated population of
two million...yes, that's right, TWO MILLION (!!!)...bunnies on the Australian
continent. We kid you not, that's the true answer!!! Congratulations to Kevin
for winning our first prize $10.00 gift certificate That's Entertainment, and we
beg all good readers not to release any multiplying rabbits around these
parts!
New Contest Announcement!!!
Its the beginning of the annual summer blockbuster
season, so the Bongo Congo panel of contest judges announce our 2nd Annual Most
Anticipated Summer Blockbuster Movie Contest! Same as last year, your challenge
is to e-mail us at Gordon_A@msn.com no later than Wednesday,
June 6 with your entry for which upcoming summer blockbuster movie you are most
excited about and why you think it will be a summertime mega-hit. Last summer's
winning entry was from Mike Dooley with his pitch for the Sci-Fi Western film
"Cowboys And Aliens." So let's see what interesting cinematic gems you fanboys
and fangirls suggest we keep an eye-out for at this summer's movie theatres!
Please note that our first prize $10.00 gift certificate to That's Entertainment
is redeemable for regular retail merchandise or in-store ongoing specials,
only.
That's all for now, so have two great early
summertime comic book reading weeks and see you again on June 8 Here In Bongo
Congo!
